Car journal lubricator



A. J. JoNr-:s

CAB JOURNAL LUBRICATOR lFiled'lm; 1s, 1935 Oct. ,11, v1938.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFI'cE CAR JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Aldred J. Jones, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 13, 1935, Serial No. 54,231

7 Claims.

Another object is to reduce the number of partsA of such devices. I

Another object is to produce a lubricator which is capable of functioning properly in restricted spaces.

Another object is to provide a lubricator having a pad of novel construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following specification, and with all of such objects and advantages in View, this invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a View, partly in end elevation and partly in vertical cross-section, of a journal box equipped with a lubricator embodyingone form of the invention, the section being taken on the line I-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and' partly in vertical section, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. Bis a detail, vertical cross-section, through the lubricator and through fragments of the journal box and axle;

Fig. 4 is a detail, fragmental side elevation of the pad;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, illustrating a slightly modified form of the invention Fig. 6 is a side elevation, illustrating another modification Y 4 Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another modification;

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the form oflubricator seen in Fig. v'7; Fig. 9 is a View partly in end elevation and partly in cross-section of fragments of a journal box and another form of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a fragmental plan of the lubricator seen in Fig. '7 partly broken out; and Fig. 1l is a front elevation thereof.V

I Referring to said drawings, and rst to Figs. 1'

to 4, inclusive, the reference character I0 designates a railway car journal box of conventional' form, in which is contained the brass bearing block II, which bears upon the axle I2. As is 35 customary, an oil well I3 is provided in the bot^ tom of the journal box.

Adjacent the rear wall I4 of the journal box Yis an upright flange or web I5 which, together with the rear wall, provides a groove I6 for the ;0 dust guard. The rear wall and web are formed (c1. 30s-sv)y with aligned circular openings through which they axle enters the journal box. The front wall I1 is provided with the usual inspection opening,

through which the lubricator is inserted and installed in the journal box. The parts described are ofstandard construction and require no further description so far as this specification is concerned.

Aligned apertures front wall I1, and web I5, below the axis of the axle, at places adjacent one or both side walls 20 of the journal box, in which apertures are received the ends of a horizontally extending supporting rod 2| which is fastened in place on said walls of the box by nuts 22, 23, threaded on one end of the rod and bearing against the inner and outer faces of the front wall or against interposed washers 24, as shown. The supporting rod may, of course, be mounted on the box in any suitable manner.

SWingably mounted on the supporting rod,2I`

is a.V pad holder 25, on which is suspended an oil applying pad 26. The lower end of the pad is submerged in the oil contained in the well and its upper end portion is pressed against the -axle with a light pressure. Oil is carried up thev pad by capillary attraction and is applied to the axle. The pad holder desirably comprises a horizontal pressure bar 21, from which arms 28 extend to the supporting rod 2l, Where each is formed with an elongated eye 29 through which the supporting rod extends. Two supporting arms 28 are shown in Figs. 1 to 3; they may be formed as part of the pressure bar 21, or they may be formed as separate pieces spot-Welded thereto. As a preference, however, a pivotal connection is provided between the pressure bar and the supporting arms. Conveniently, the metal of the pressure bar is struck up at two aligned spaces to form eyes 46, in which a pin 41 is held, and the supporting arms are extends. This arrangement permits the pressure I8, I9 are formed in the.

bar and the contacting portion of the pad to adjust itself to the curvature of the axle, despite the exact location of the supporting rod 2I. Desirably the opening in the eye 48 is slightly larger than the diameter of the pin 41, thereby permitting the pressure bar and pad to rock in a horizontal plane and thereby follow any rolling or radius movements of the axle that occur while the car is traveling around curves. The elongated veyes 29 on the supporting arms also facilitate such movement of the pad holder. Y

.The supporting rod may be provided with spacedshoulders 50 thereon, between whichthe supporting arms are located. The shoulders retain the pad holder thereon and facilitate the insertion and removal of the lubricator to and from the journal box. The shoulders may be Qmitted if desired.

Extending down from the pressure bar 21 is a lever arm 30, formed as a part of the pressure bar or it may be formed as a separate piece, spotwelded or rigidly secured thereto. As shown, the lever army 30 andthe two supporting arms 28 are formed ini one piece struck upwith suitable dies. The three arms extend from a main part 49 which contains the eye 48. The lever` arm extends below the supporting rod 2l and thence laterally ,underneath the axle where is carries a counterweight 3.|, desirably adjustably secured alongthe. length of the arm by a screw 32. The end of the lever arm is bent up slightly or otherwise provided with means to prevent the weight from coming oithe.

arm. An opening is formed in the padl to per# mitthelever arm^tojpassifrom one side; thereof to' sary,.to' passe bythe axle flange when installing the'lubricator. in the journal'box. Ordinarily the lubricator is' inserted'l through the. inspection. openingY o'f the journal. box;

lI-he pad i`s of`rrovel construction. Desirably' it isformedi of an absorbent. body, composed of a` plurality: of cotton rovingsv 33, suitably fastened together'by rows'of vstitchesV 34'. The body is en` closed in a covering 35" formed of textilev fabricdoubled over the body' with its ends sewed together and with its side edges lapped over the body and's'ecure'd'by'rowsof stitches'j36. Adjacent the upper' end of the padv a section' ofthe coveringm'aterial'i's omitted'acrossione faceof the'pad,

thereby exposing the absorbent body portion, asY

at`13v1. The exposediportion of thel pad body comprises` thepart which contactswith' the axle and" delivers the oil thereto.

O'nr the en'd portion 4D' of the pad', beyond the exposed part 37', is secured an attachment strip' 3B?, the top andbottomedges of which are bent up toform overhanging edgesfvvhi'chI provide grooves- 3`9`1in'v which the top and'bottom edges of the pressure are received. Desirabl'y the attachment stripisfastened to' the'end'portion 4U of the pad Projecting from the ends of theV by staples 4|: attachment strip are tongues 42, bent over the ends of thepressurebar tosecure the attachment Vstrip and therewith the pad on Vthe pad holder.

The end potion 400i thepadis doubled back on the padv along the line 43i andl is fastened'to the main portion of` the pad' by rows of'stitches'44`, 44. This brings the attachment strip on the side of. the pad opposite the exposed. part of the body. The padiis attachedtoY the pressure bar. by sliding the pressure bar through the grooves iny the. attachmenty stripA and bendingI the tongues aroundA the ends of*` the pressure bar. Desirably the attachment strip is formed` of brass to avoidzwear on the axle; anges,` inasmuch; as the bent up tongues-arelikely to rub against thefilanges.

With thev use ofv the above described pad, an ample quantity of.' lubricating oil i's always delivered" toi4 the axle. The textile :fabric covering or sheath preventsv dust, dirt. or' other foreigny parti'cles' from` entering the absorbent body portion ofthe pad..y The textile fabric covering permitsV anyk dust, dirt or other foreign particles to free themselves from the covering when' the` pad isY 7.5 cleaned. If desired, the lower endof, the covering may be left open, thereby exposing the lower ends of the rovings directly to the lubricating oil.

In the modied form of the invention, illustrated in Fig. 5, the pad holder 25a has two lever arms- .'illEl and one supporting arm 28e, the supporting arm being centrally locatedzon the pressure bar and the lever arms being disposed at the sides thereof. The several arms are shown as .spot-welded to the pressure bar 21a. Slots 45a may-be provided in the pad in alignment with the lever armsin order that they may extend from one side of' the pad to the other. In all other respectsthe-Y lubricat'or may be constructed in substantially the same manner as the one illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

Infthe modied:form,illustrated in Fig. 6, instead of using a grooved attachment bar removably-attached to the pressure bar,l the padholder 25b-has a single ilat pressure bar 5I', which is directly fastened to the pad by staples or the'like, and the bar is struck up with a pair of eyes 52, which co-operate with the'eye'48, onthe-'supporting, arms-'28, and. a cotter pin 53', to: providethe swivel connection between the bar. 5land. supporting armsr This arrangement permits of theindependent tilting movement of the pressure bar and pad and also permits removal and replacement off` thepad' by' merely withdrawing the Cotter pin from theieyes;

In t-hemodied form' illustrated in Figs. 7T and 8; the pad holder'25c is composed of' a single piece. comp-rising the pressurebar 54', supporting armsv 55 and'. the lever arms 56". In this form of the invention the: pad 26: is directly secured tothe pressure bar`54f as by rivets 51. The-supporting arms are widely' spaced, thereby aiiording al long bearing on the supporting rod and the weight serves-to1lightly press the'pad against an axle.

In the form illustratedy in Figs. 9; 10 and 11, the supportingv arms 58v of the pad holder 25.d are formed of: strips'of resilient metal, and are shownv as rigidly fastened to the side wallZilf of the journal box by bolts and nuts 59; The pressure bar 6B is-fastened'tothe padby rivets, staples or the like, and is swiveled upon the upper ends of the resilient arms so that the pressure'face of the pad may adjust. itself tothe curvature of the axle. The swivel connection may comprise aligned, horizontally extending, outwardly struck up loops 6 l formed on the pressure bar and eyes 62 formed onthelupper ends ot the resilient arms 58, curled around the loops; The' loops may be slightly longer than the width of the arms, thereby permitting the pad to move laterally of the arms so as toA follow any lateral orendwise movements of the axle. With the use of resilient support-ing arms the pad is free to-accommodateitselfv toany rolling or radius movementsA of the axle that occurs` when the carV passes around curves in the track, since either resilient arm is free to be pressed back moreoriess. In connection: with all of the forms'of the invention illustrated', it isY to' be observed that the entire pad is disposed between the axle and the point ,ofl supportv for the pad holder. The result isl that the weight of the oil saturated pad, in many instances, is sufficient' to apply the necessary pressure against the axle, and the weighted lever is used merely to augment the pressure where' greater pressure is required, than that obtained by the weight of the oil saturated pad. At the place where the lever arm passes through the pad', thelatter may rest' on the arm, in which case the weighted arm serves to swing the pad holder, together with the upper' end of the pad, toward the axle, or the weight may be omitted from the arm and the pad may be draped over the arm, thereby serving to increase the pressure of the pad against the axle. In situationswhere a light pressure is desired, the saturated Wickalone, disposed laterally of the point of support f the wick holder, on that side thereof 4between the axle and point of support of the wick holder, has been found ample to accomplish the desired result.

It is to be observed that the pad holder is free to slide along thef'supporting rod, thereby enabling the pad to accommodate itself to any lateral or endwise movement of the axle. It is also to be observed by reason of the arrangement of the attaching means between the attachment` Vstrip and pad there are no staples or other fastening means in the `main portion of the pad which would otherwise-compress the pad and restrict the flow of oil past the staples. In other words, the free flow of oil by capillary attraction is permitted throughout the pad to the place where it applies the oil to the axle.

While the invention has been shown and described in connection with a car journal, it is to be understood that its use is not limited thereto, as it can be used with other journal bearings.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A journal lubricator comprising in combination an axle, a horizontal fulcrum element extending parallel with and laterally of the axle, a support for said fulcrum element, an upwardly inclined pad holder fulcrumed at its lower end on said fulcrum element and inclined in-a direction toward the axle, a lever arm rigid with and extending laterally from the pad holder in a direction toward the lower side of the axle, and a pad secured at its upper end to the upper end of the pad holder and depending entirely on the side of the pad holder from which the lever'arm extends, whereby the pad co-operates with the lever arm to press the upper end of the pad against the axle.

2. A journal lubricator, comprising in combination an axle, a horizontal rod extending parallel with and laterally of the axle, a support for the rod, an upwardly inclined pad holder fulcrumed at its lower end on said rod and inclined in a direction toward the axle, a weighted lever arm rigid with and extending laterally from the pad holder in a direction toward the lower side of the axle, and a pad securedvat its upper end to the upper end of the pad holder and depending therefrom entirely on the side of the pad holder from which the lever arrn. extends, whereby the pad co-operates with the leverz'f'a'rm to press the upper end of the pad against the'axle.

3. A journal lubricator, comprising in combination an axle, a horizontal rod extending parallel with and laterally of theaxle, a support for said rod, an upwardly inclined pad holder fulcrurned at its lower end on 'said'rod and inclined in a direction toward the axle, alever arm rigid with and extending laterally fron-1' the pad holder in a direction toward the lower side of the axle, a weighted block adjustably mounted on said lever arm, and a pad secured at its upper end to the upper end of the pad holder and depending therefrom entirely onthe side of the pad holder from which the lever arm extends, whereby the pad cooperates with vthe lever arm to press Ythe upper end of the pad against the axle.

4. A car journal lubricator, comprising a horizontally extending supporting rod adapted to be removably supported within a journal box, said rod having a pair of spaced shoulders thereon, an upwardly extending pad holder fulcrumed at its end on said rod between said shoulders and being slidably movable between said shoulders,

' said pad holder being provided with a lever arm extending laterally therefrom, and a pad attached at its upper end to the upper end of the pad holder and depending freely therefrom entirely on the side thereof containing the lever arm, all of said elements comprising a unit capable of being inserted in a journal box, or removed therefrom as a unit.

5. A car journal lubricator, comprising an axle, a horizontally extending rod supported parallel withr the axle and at one side thereof, a swingable, upwardly extending padsupport fulcrumed at its lower end on said rod and being slidable thereon within given limits, said pad supports inclining toward the axle and having a lever arm projecting laterally therefrom in the direction of the axle, a pressure bar swiveled on a horizontal axis on the upper end of the pad support and being capable of rocking in vertical and horizontal planes, whereby to adjust itself-to the floating movement of the axle, and a pad secured at its upper end to said pressure bar in position to contact with the axle and depending freely from said pressure bar entirely on that side of the pad support containing the lever arm, said pad co-operating with the lever arm to swing the upper end of the pad support, together with the pressure bar and pad, toward the axle.

6. A journal/lubricator comprising in combination a journal box and an axle journaled therein, a horizontal rod mounted in the journal box parallel with and located at one side of the axle, a swingable upwardly extending pad supporting arm fulcrumed at its lower end on said rod, and

normally inclined toward the side of the axle, av

pressure bar shiftable in a line parallel with the axle, said supporting arm and pressure bar having aligned ears, a pin removably secured in said ears and forming a removable swivel connection between the pressure bar and pad supporting arm, whereby the pressure bar may rock on the pin and may be disconnected from the pad supporting arm by the remofval of the pin, and a pad iixedly attached to 'the pressure bar, the latter providing a stiff backing for the pad, wherebx the pressure bar and pad may be shifted as a unit.

'l. A journal lubricator comprising in combination a journal box, an axle journaled therein and havingllateral play therein, a 'horizontal fulcrum element extending parallel with and located at one'sideof the axle, and supported in the journal box, an upwardly inclined pad supporting arm fulcrumed at its lower end on said fulcrum element and normally inclined in a direction toward the axle, and adapted to be swung laterally by the laterally movable axle, a pressure bar on the upper end of said arm, and disposed laterally thereof on that side which is adjacent the axle, and a pad nxedly fastened, from edge to edge, to the pressure bar on that side thereof which is adjacent the axle and depending therefrom in a vertical plane located between the fulcrum element and the axle, said pad being adapted to be saturated with oil, whereby the downward pull ALDRED J. JONES. 

